Foreign Service Related Things

More updates from this aspiring diplomat—and it’s good news!

I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test for the second time. Overall, my score this year improved compared to last year’s. Here’s a breakdown of the sections:

Bio: My score in this section improved dramatically, which is what I was most hoping for this time around. The way this section of the test is scored is shrouded in mystery, so I was a little worried about coming out with a low score in this section again on my second try—if I couldn’t do it right the second time, how could I hope to improve? No worries, though, I seem to have cracked the code!

English Usage: This score was about the same as last year (about a couple of points higher). I’m happy with that, because I was happy about how my score turned out last year. No complaints.

Job Knowledge: This is a section that needs some lovin’. My score was atrocious. It was even lower than last year! (Not that I expected my score to increase in this section: I didn’t study for this test.) No worries, though. I have a plan! I noticed that most of the questions I couldn’t answer had to do with the structure of the US government and legislative processes, so I purchased a Kindle version of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to US Government on Amazon.com and I’m going to read it. I’ve also been getting into reading political memoirs lately, so I’m certainly picking up some things there. (I’m currently reading Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton, which essentially reads like an 800 page CV. If this lady isn’t making a run for president in 2016 then pigs must already be flying.)

Essay: My essay score got a little bump. I’m happy with my score. I think it was safely a passing score, and there’s really no need to focus on increasing my essay score. Increasing my Job Knowledge score is what could really make a difference.

Either way, I passed and I’m happy about my results. I learned a lot from taking the test a second time. I think I’ll really be prepared for the test when I take it again next year!

In the meantime, the fact that I passed this year means I advance to the next stage of the Foreign Service selection process and I have a second opportunity to write my personal narrative essays to submit to the selection panel. Last year my essays did not get me an invite to the Oral Assessment, but this year, who knows? I’d like to get a shot at the OAs so that I can get practice for next year. Only one thing to do then—focus on writing the best essays I can! (I’ve done research into this, and I’m going about it differently this time!)

IN OTHER NEWS:

Remember how I said that an Embassy program is going to send some of my kids to the States? Well, Embassy personnel came to my site this past Friday to interview candidates. (They were impressed with the kiddos! I’m so proud. Next week we find out the results of the interviews.) I finally met in person with a public affairs diplomat that I had been emailing with during coordination for this program.

I didn’t know she was black (I won’t pretend I wasn’t excited about that) AND her hair was AMAZING. We didn’t have much time to talk around all the business of meeting parents and running kids around for interviews, but I did get to talk to her for a couple of minutes. She told me that Panama was quite an adjustment for her, since most of her tours had been in East Asia, particularly in China. At that point, I probably started talking too much, because that made me SUPER excited. CHINA?!? That’s NUMBER ONE on my list of places to serve! Her Mandarin must be amazing!

Meeting Embassy personnel always makes me super excited. And GUESS WHAT?!? She offered to write me a recommendation! I could’ve died. Every time I meet a diplomat it’s such a positive experience. (You guys must know what you’re doing!) I’m considering having her write me a recommendation for a fellowship she recommended I apply for.

Welp, those are all of the updates I have for right now. Things are going well in the D! The next couple of months promise to be pretty busy, so I’ll do my best to keep you all up to speed.

Much love to everyone in the States! Hugs and kisses (mwah)!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately:

Black Boy Richard Wright

The Audacity of Hope Barack Obama

Endgame Frank Brady

Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut

The Social Animal David Brooks

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith